Sloane Grammar School boy, if you seek your memorial,

look around you.

DON'T FORGET!! -

PLEASE CHECK THE ANNOUNCEMENTS BOARD AT THE FOOT  OF THIS PAGE FOR ANYTHING IMPORTANT and, after you Log In, the CALENDAR OF EVENTS PAGE FOR DETAILS OF FORTHCOMING EVENTS. 

If you're having trouble logging in because you've forgotten your Password, click on Forgot Password? inside the Classmate Login box that appears after you click   Sign In   and you'll be Emailed a link to reset it.
 

You'll find other helpful tips under REMINDERS below.
 

  
The Sloane

Hello and Welcome to

Mark Foulsham's

Sloane Grammar School website

If I built it I knew you would come

A School that invited loyalty

 
Gone But Not Forgotten

'Men are we, and must grieve when even the shade

Of that which once was great is pass'd away.'

William Wordsworth

On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic

You may think you're done with the past but the past isn't done with you!
 

"The merits of a school are judged as much by the men it produces as by their achievements as boys" - 

(Old Cheynean D.J. Cowie, March 1929)
 

Register and link up with old school friends again and become part of Sloane Reunited.

If you were a pupil or member of staff at Sloane you qualify to register for the website. Click on Missing Classmates at the top of this page to see if we've been expecting you. If you see your name click on it and follow instructions. If your name's not there click on BECOME A MEMBER to learn more and then click the ADD NAME button to start the ball rolling or click Contact Us at the top of the page, read what you see then complete the box at the bottom of that page to ask me to add your name to the list.

It's Free, it's Easy, it's Secure

and

You're Never Alone As A Sloane
 

If you're a member, click on an image (     ) at the top for more. 

Here's what you'll find -

  = Messages waiting for you. The red bubble shows how many.

  = Website activity. Check for things you may have missed.

  = Member functions like Profile, Contact, and Password changes.

      AND -

  If you're already a member please remember to keep your Email address up to date using Edit Contact Info, to be found by clicking on  the  image at the top of the page. 

 Please don't forget to use the Notify Me page under the  image to make selections that will help you keep in touch as well as help you enjoy all the website has to offer.

     You may already have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player but your browser no  longer uses it automatically and it will not be supported at all after 31st December, 2020. From that date Google has confirmed it will completely block Flash from being able to run under the Chrome browser as will Mozilla for their Firefox browser and Microsoft for Internet Explorer and Edge. The Members Online feature uses Flashplayer (as do some animations and slideshows) so if it can't be seen clearly in the bottom right of your Home Page, click your mouse on what you can see and you'll be prompted to run Flashplayer. Agreeing will see the Members Online window re-appear. The same applies to animations and slideshows that don't show automatically. Use your Search Engine to search the web for how you allow Flash automatically in the browser you use but some browsers will ignore your choice anyway if you've chosen 'Allow', others, like Opera or Brave, will not. To check how this site handles Flash, click on the Padlock or Not Secure wording that precedes this website's Domain Name in your browser's Address Bar and set Flash to Allow or Ask (default). Click on Site Settings and under Permissions it also shows the same choice.  HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language) is the likely replacement for Flash and hopefully, this website will be converted to it before the deadline for the loss of Flash.    

     Please remember to Log Out when you leave the site by using the Log Out button to be found under the  image at the top of the page. 
 

         AND FINALLY, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, -

Please let a close relative know of your participation in the Sloane website and show them how to use the Contact Us page to notify me in the sad event of your death. Not only will this allow me to notify other members, it will also put a stop to any website generated emails finding their way to your Inbox. Thank you.

Come on in! 
Don't be late! 
This is one detention 
You'll be pleased to take.
               

    A WARM WELCOME 

to fellow Cheyneans and passers-by, from the Official Sloane Grammar School 1919-1970 Old Cheyneans and Friends web site.

Mark Foulsham, at Sloane 1963-70, created this site in August 2008 to record for posterity all that I can, and for all those who attended Sloane or simply have a Sloane connection, to share and enjoy. Feel free just to browse or, if you feel you qualify to join us, make full use of the site by becoming a Registered Classmate. Click on the Click Here to Register button above to start the registration process. It's Free!

I'll also be happy to send a personal invitation to anyone else with a Sloane School Chelsea connection who you think might like to join us. Just enter their Email address in the MISSING CLASSMATES box to your right and click Send Invite.  

We may not understand why but memories of our days at Sloane remain with us while others do not. Whether they're good or they're bad, I'd like to give all old boys the opportunity to keep those memories alive.

 Aspirations and Objectives

Sloane never had a motto and although our school badge is based on the lion rampant and boar's head of the Cadogan family crest their motto, Qui Invidet Minor Est or He That Envies Is Inferior, is not really appropriate so I'll adopt the one to be found on the Coat of Arms of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as it suits us nicely -

Quam Bonum In Unum Habitare

 (What A Good Thing It Is To Dwell Together In Unity) 

It is hoped, in some small way, to be able to have similar objectives to those stated for the first issue of The Cheynean in December 1926  -

"To record faithfully the major activities of the School, to promote and foster a corporate spirit in the School, to excite a greater keenness both in the games and in other phases of its social life, and to serve as a link between present members of the School and the Old Cheyneans".  -

and also to bring together, once again, old friends and classmates, and those of us who have outlived the school and share a common interest in its history and its future.

Sadly, I've no memory of having ever sung or even heard a school song but apparently one was written by music Master Mr Seymour Dicker in 1928, and was first sung in July of that year by pupil J E Bush. What became of it after that first performance is a mystery but it contained the lines -

"Salve, the School and its scholars so keen,

 Long may they keep its memory green."

 If you've any memories of Sloane you'd like to share, use the Contact Us page to send them in and, whilst you're there, register for the site as well. 

Once you've registered, you can activate the Instant Messaging feature that allows you to hold a 'real-time' online conversation with anyone else who has logged on to the website. You can also send a message to someone else on the site via the Message Centre or by using their Profile. Click on their name on the Classmate Profiles page then click on the red 'Send ? a private message' at the top of their Profile.

After you've registered, why not take a look at all the Classmate Profiles ? Even if you don't know the person involved, the information they've put on their Profile can be interesting, illuminating and fun, and often brings back memories of something you thought you'd forgotten about.

If, at any time after becoming a member, you're unsure about anything click on this Using This Site link for an explanation or contact me direct via the Contact Us page.
 

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 Why Not Take a Look at Where your Classmates are Living?

Find out the Postcode of a Classmate from their Profile (if they've agreed to let everyone know it) then Click on the link below, enter the details where it says 'Address', then Click on 'Go'. Not every country is covered yet and those that are have limited coverage, but it's worth a try.

Here's the link. Have fun - http://www.vpike.com/

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The Sloane News

Breaking News!

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HOME FRONT NEWS

Remember when you were little and you could just rip off your nappy and run arund naked and everyone thought it was cute and funny? Anyway, this is my way of telling you I need bail money.

Not true, obviously. I just thought I'd start with something you'd all like to hear. I couldn't run around anything, including naked. I'm getting too old for most things even if most people don't realise how old I am until they hear me stand up. Which reminds me. I think people are too judgemental today, anyway. I can tell just by looking at them.

I'm not saying I'm too old for everything, just most things. To give you an idea of how old I am, this week I've dialed a rotary phone (that didn't have an answering machine), recorded a song off a transistor radio onto a reel-to-reel tape recorder, watched a black and white TV (with less than 10 channels) that had foil on the rabbit ear antennas, taken a long walk without counting the steps, and eaten food that I hadn't taken photos of to put on Facebook (whatever that is).  

I've even refused to babysit for my daughter this weekend while her and her bloke go abroad for a weekend 'break'. I wouldn't last an hour with my grandkids and I object to being used anyway. My wife's going to do it on her own. I wish her well. I shall be booking my own break to help my recovery from being without my wife for three whole days.

I do hope you made the most of the festive spirit this time around. If you didn't, you can always try a different blend next year. I did learn something over Christmas. It was that Santa and I have a few things in common -

1) I eat other people's food if it's left unattended.

2) I only visit people once a year. And

3) I'm really fat.

Things have returned to something like normal in the Foulsham household and in my efforts to wind down I've found myself doing a little more to the family tree. Apart from the Foulsham family members who went to America in the 17th century and the Durant (my Paternal Grandmother's maiden name) who went on to become a well-known racehorse trainer in Australia, our tree's been coming up short on anyone out of the ordinary. Maybe she's not in the same realms of glory, but Margaret Durant, born Margaret Driscoll in Southwark in 1852 did, at least keep the constabulary busy. She went to prison at least once in the years between 1880 and 1893 (Holloway, Pentonville, Wormwood Scrubs and Knaphill usually), often for larceny and/or being inebriated, but primarily for stealing boots. She seems to have had a thing about boots, stealing at least one pair a year, probably when hers were worn out. She must have stolen a pair belonging to a 'nob' one year because it resulted in a 5 year penal servitude sentence. Apart from her fondness for drink, her Wormwood Scrubs discharge papers in 1894 give further indications that she is related to me as they describe her as,

"4ft 10 ins tall, of stout build, with an oval face".

The "light brown hair, blue eyes, four scratch scars on her left cheek and another on the top of her left lip" might not be so apllicable but I'm working on it.

Even after marrying Charlie Durant she often used her maiden name as an alias and was charged under whichever name she was using when arrested. Sounds sensible but it no doubt confused their three kids.

My wife and I are talking to each other again. It started after I said to her,

" I've just done a silent fart. What should I do? "

" Put batteries in your hearing aid, " she said.

Commencing my annual New Year diet, I walked into my local bakery and asked,

" What do you have with no fat and no sugar? "

Only to be greeted with an incredulous look from the stick-thin lady behind the counter and the words,

" Napkins? "

Eating and drinking are two of life's great pleasures but once everything that's been sitting there since Christmas has been drunk or eaten I really will shed a few more pounds. Boris's inconsiderate easing of Covid restrictions isn't going to help. I've been quite good during times of isolation, with my latest drink of choice being a quarantine coffee. It's just like normal coffee except that it has whisky in it and also no coffee. 

Talking of Covid (can I ever stop?). If they continue to do it in shops, don't let them take your temperature on your forehead. It's a government plot to erase your memory. I went into a supermarket for a bottle of milk and a loaf of bread and came out with a case of beer and twelve bottles of wine. I've taken to drinking indoors again because I don't like what happens to me when I go to the local -
 

And so we come to the end of another week in which I didn't become unexpectedly rich. If I survive another, I'll continue doing the Lottery, playing the Pools and backing the horses. If I still don't get rich it will have been fun trying and I know I can rely on you lot to bail me out if it all goes wrong.

Enjoy youselves.

* * *

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

If there's one thing I've learnt over the years it's that there are four things that people find hard to say. They are -

1) I'm sorry.

2) I need help.

3) I was wrong.

4) Worcestershire Sauce.

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JOKES OF THE DAY

Anyone remember the conversation between Norm and Cliff from the American TV comedy Cheers in the late 1980s, in which Cliff  explains to Norm his 'buffalo theory' of how beer makes you smarter? -

"Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it’s the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

*

A group of blokes, all turning 40, discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally, it was agreed that they would meet at Wetherspoons in Norbury because the waitresses had big breasts and wore miniskirts.

Ten years later, at age 50, the friends once again discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally, it was agreed that they would meet at Wetherspoons in Norbury because the waitresses were attractive, the food and service was good and the beer selection was excellent.

Ten years later, at age 60, the friends again discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally, it was agreed that they would meet at Wetherspoons in Uxbridge because there was plenty of parking, they could dine in peace and quiet with no loud music, and it was good value for money.

Ten years later, at age 70, the friends discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally, it was agreed that they would meet at Wetherspoons in Norbury because the restaurant was wheelchair accessible and had a toilet for the disabled.

Ten years later, at age 80, the friends discussed where they should meet for lunch. Finally, it was agreed that they would meet at Wetherspoons in Norbury because they had never been there before.

* * *
 

The Story of The NEVERWELLS (WHO ARE NEVER OUT OF TROUBLE)

Many years ago I picked up a small book at a car boot sale and now, With two years in the world of Covid behind us, I thought it might be a good time to share its contents with you.

The book in question, published in 1948 (the year the NHS came into being), is titled The Story of The NEVERWELLS (WHO ARE NEVER OUT OF TROUBLE) and was written by William Edwards, a doctor, under the pseudonym Dr. Goodenough.

The Neverwells included mum and dad, their small boy Billy, growing-up Mary and baby Roy, and came into being after the Editor of The People newspaper met two people on a train. One of them was a doctor friend of the Editor's, 'a kindly soul yet a man of the world who has one of the biggest practices in the South of England.' He said: 

"I am rushed off my feet these days. And in most cases I need not have been called in at all, if only people had a simple knowledge about ordinary illnesses."

Later, the Editor found himself talking to a woman passenger with two children -

"They're not too strong," she said, "always under the doctor with one thing or another. It's never serious you know, but the trouble is you can never be sure and so you must call the doctor."

The same night as he had spoken to the two people on the train, the Editor of The People telephoned his doctor friend and asked him if he would become Dr. Goodenough and write for him every week the story of a family - the Neverwell family - about their complaints and how he treated them, and in simple language so that ordinary people could at last learn the elementary things about illness.

For over a year before the book was published, Dr. Goodenough entertained and instructed People readers every week with the story of the never-ending complaints of the Neverwells. There were words of wisdom and understanding in these little features as well. So much so that, increasingly, the People was inundated with letters from readers asking for a book to be written. Hence, the book I picked up some 30 years after it was first published I now bring to you each time I update this Home Page of the website. I hope you find some enjoyment in its pages and can see the comparisons it enables us to make between the way medicine was practiced  back then and how much it has advanced in such a relatively short space of time whilst the personal touch has moved in the opposite direction.

This fifth piece from the book concerns -

SCALDS

Mrs. Neverwell was in a very bad temper. Although her scalded foot was painful, she refused to see the doctor.

" He's hardly been out of the house for weeks, " she said.

She peeled off her stocking very gingerly, dusted on some flour, and covered it with boric lint. All night, her foot ached, Billy was restless, and Mr. Neverwell apologetic, but for three days she went on enduring it, while Mary, with her bandaged thumb, helped with the chores. Then the foot began to throb and burn, and red streaks appeared up her leg. There was a painful, swollen gland in her groin.

Mr. Neverwell, on his own initiative, went and fetched Dr. Goodenough. The lint had stuck, and the doctor soaked it off in warm water.

" Incidentally, " he said, " if you must use lint, the smooth side goes next the skin, not the fluffy side. That one always sticks. "

Mrs. Neverwell's foot looked very angry and inflamed.

" It must have been the dye off my stocking, " she said.

" You mean the dirt on it, " said Dr. Goodenough. " Dyes are antiseptic, if anything, though modern fast dyes usually make no difference either way. A few people are sensitive to some dyes, and can get an itching rash from a cheap fur which hasn't been dyed too well ; but no one ever came to any harm from the dye on a stocking. It's the dirt that contains the germs, and the germs which cause the inflammation. You helped on the good work by putting on the flour, which may have contained a few more germs. And dry boric lint is not an antiseptic. Boracic only becomes antiseptic when it is wetted - and not a very strong one, then. The long and short of it is that your foot has gone septic, and the inflammation is streaking up your leg to that gland that is hurting you. Don't worry about that. If the gland wasn't there, it would get in your blood, and you'd have blood poisoning. Anyhow, the gland will go down as soon as we get the foot better. "

" I shan't have to have it off, shall I? " asked Mrs. Neverwell, rather alarmed.

" Not this time. Science may have discovered atom bombs, which are bad for you, but it has also discovered quite a lot of things which are good for you. Penicillin, for instance, and M & B (Editor Foulsham's Note: M & B was Sulfapyridine, a sulphonamide, first prescribed in 1938 for the treatment of pneumonia and other infections). We'll soon have you fixed up. "

He dressed the scald with penicillin ointment, and explained how to change the dressing every three hours. Then he gave her some tablets.

" Drink a pint of water every time you take them, and don't treat yourself to a dose of Epsom-salt. Salts don't agree with M & B. "

By the very next day, the inflammation had all gone - and so had the pain. The doctor put on a dressing, and told her :

" What you have to remember about burns and scalds is that the heat destroys any germs on your skin, and inflammation won't start until you put some more there. But, once you do that, you are providing those germs with damaged tissue to feed on, and that's just what they like. If the place has been touched with a dirty stocking or dirty fingers, you should assume that germs are there, and dab on a little peroxide, or weak flavine, or permanganate, or some other very dilute antiseptic. Don't use strong ones, or you will just increase the damage to the skin. Then, apply a clean oily dressing, which is very soothing. Surgical gauze soaked in medicinal paraffin does very well for household burns. Better still, boil some bits of gauze in soft paraffin, drain them, and pack them away in a clean tin till you want them. But, of course, you won't do that. It's the sort of thing people put off, like going to the dentist. "

" There's enough to do, bottling fruit and making jam, without boiling up paraffin, " said Mrs. Neverwell.

" True, " said the doctor. " In that case, you can buy your greasy gauze ready made - it's called tulle gras. How does your foot feel ? "

" Fine, " said Mrs. Neverwell. " There's one thing about being in pain - it's so lovely when it stops. Thanks very much. I'll be all right now. "

She limped about the house, hoping Mr. Neverwell would come home early, to help with Billy and the baby. But, when the front door did open at last, he came in unsteadily. His face was flushed and feverish, and he spoke as if he had a potato in his mouth.

" I think I'm g-going to choke, " he muttered thickly, and collapsed into an easy chair.

Join us next time to learn what's up with Mr. Neverwell and recall a word that's hardly ever used today - Quinsy.

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The Home We Called Sloane
 

The Sloane building seen from Hortensia Road in 1908  

The Sloane building was 100 years old in 2008, although it didn't actually start life as a boys' school until after the First World War, during which it served as a hospital. It still stands and many memories are, no doubt, ingrained in its walls along with the odd name and ribald comment. Who knows what the future holds, despite its Grade II listing on May 7th, 2002. Grade II listed buildings can be altered, extended, or even demolished, but only with Local Authority consent, so it may be that the building is considered historically or architecturally interesting enough for it's fabric to remain untouched. Some consideration may have been given to it having been the first purpose-built secondary school in London, and it is certainly one of only 3% of all ages of listed buildings that was built in the 20th century. Schools generally are seen as a good investment by developers because they're easy to convert. They are likely to be structurally sound because the authorities will have inspected them regularly to ensure they comply with Health and Safety requirements.  

Sadly, Sloane Grammar School for Boys only lasted 51 years, from 1919-1970. Sloane old boy John Binfield, in one of his poems, writes -

... the school, with
All its past, was sucked into a huge
Turbulent sea of glass in Pimlico
And sank without trace. "full fathom five..

Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell.
Hark, now I hear them. Ding-dong bell".

The exterior of the building still survives in the form we all remember even if the interior doesn't. It would have been wonderful to have been able to celebrate, in 2019, what would have been its centenary as a boys' school, had it remained in existence as such. Unfortunately, for us, it wasn't to be, and the Covid-19 pandemic that gripped the world in 2020 and beyond didn't allow for a late celebration either . Maybe one day...... 
 

Sloane seen from the rear in 2014

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This Website And The British Library's Web Archive

Please Note: - The school building still remains but not as a school. I've tried to preserve as much of its history and old boys' memories of it as I can, on this website. You might like to know that once I'm no longer around and have shuffled off to that classroom in the sky, this website will remain intact. Once my monthly payments to the Class Creator programmers cease the site will continue but to compensate them for their loss it will display adverts. If you're still around, you'll still be able to Log In to the site and carry on much as you did when I was alive. Naturally, the site will look exactly as it did (apart from the adverts) on the day I died. What will not be possible are any new members, unlikely as that is, as I won't be here to verify they are who they say they are.

In addition, in 2013 , just before the Legal Deposit regulations came into force, I asked to register the website with the British Library's UK Web Archive as one of historical interest and they agreed. So, when none of us are unable to Log In anymore or the Class Creator business ceases to operate, it will still be available for access by our children and grandchildren etc., as well as future historians, at this address -
 

Web Archiving
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7184
E-mail: web-archivist@bl.uk

Since 2013, publishers need to give a copy of every UK publication they make to the British Library. Five other major UK libraries may also ask to be given a copy. This system is called legal deposit and it's been a part of English law since 1662.

Print publications for legal deposit can be books, journals, sheet music, maps, plans, charts or tables. Now legal deposit also covers material published digitally such as websites, blogs, e-journals and CD-ROMs.

Legal deposit has many benefits for publishers and authors. The deposited publications can be read inside the British Library and will be preserved for future generations. Their works become part of the nation’s heritage, providing inspiration for new books and other publications.

Unfortunately, in the case of websites, the British Library say that much of the information contained in them cannot be archived for technical reasons. In addition, as almost all this website's pages are Password Protected, it will be impossible for them to be accessed unless I remove that restriction. At some point I will give the British Library's 'web crawler' access to our Password Protected pages to allow it to take a 'snapshot' of the site on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or 6-monthly basis. At the time of writing this, 2020, their system doesn't have the capability to crawl and archive private content that sits behind a Log In procedure. They will noever be allowed access to members' Profiles and the personal information they contain.

The current generation of web crawlers cannot capture:

• Interactive, dynamically generated content
• Content that is only available via a search engine on the website, or some other form submission method
• Some types of JavaScript-driven menus
• YouTube videos, Flash movies and similar streaming audio or video (some audio and video files can be captured, e.g. those embedded via the standard HTML5 <video> or <audio> tags).

Unlike static HTML, which is relatively easy to capture, script code is very hard for traditional web crawlers to analyse, which is why the Library runs web browsers for a limited part of their crawls. Even that cannot capture very interactive web sites, like single-page web applications, or any site feature that needs a remote server to function. In practical terms this means that entering queries into the search box of an archived version of a website will not work. Standard links on the website, however, will work as normal.

Some JavaScript driven menus do not function well once archived. YouTube videos, Flash movies, and similar streaming audio or video are also beyond the capability of web crawlers. However, as members of the International Internet Preservation Consortium, contributors to the UK Web Archive are developing tools which will help capture this content in the future.

Attempts are made to gather all of the objects associated with a website including html, images, PDF documents, audio and video files and other objects such as programming scripts. However, the crawler software cannot automatically gather any material that is protected behind a password, without the owner's collaboration. Web site owners may however choose to divulge confidentially a user ID and password to allow archiving of these areas. So, as I said, I'll collaborate with the British Library to allow them to gather only non-invasive non-personal information behind the password protection if and when their archiving system becomes capable of it .

Should you wish to visit the UK Web Archive to see what it makes available for viewing or if you know of a website that you think deserves preservation, use this link -

https://www.webarchive.org.uk/ukwa/info/nominate

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Whatever our own personal reasons for it doing so, the school will still haunt most of us even if it disappears altogether. With that tenuous link, here's a poem that I came across in a copy of The Cheynean -

The Ghost of Sloane

 
When London's asleep and the School very quiet,
No sound of footsteps, no sound of a riot,
No sound of even the shuffle of feet,
No sound of the creak of a pupil's seat,
Out of the darkness the ghost of Sloane
Awakes from rest with a sigh and a groan.
Then up he arises to haunt the School
Climbing the stairs in the guise of a ghoul.
He shuffles and clanks down each corridor
Into the classrooms where stand desks galore.
He examines each desk and checks the boys' work,
Allots ghostly marks in the dark and the murk.

If you ever lose books from out of your desk,
And the teacher upbraids you and calls you a pest,
Just tell him my story, however tall,
Of the white shrouded phantom that haunts the School Hall.

                                                    J. Hollingshead (3C)

As for us, the boys who used to attend our Chelsea school, we probably considered ourselves 'Chelsea men' but I doubt that many of us fitted the description in this poem, written when he was in the 5th year by one time Sloane Schoolboy, A R Doubledee. I get the impression he didn't particularly approve of the 'Beatniks' of the late 50s and early 60s that he found himself sharing Chelsea with or, as he called them the 'Weirdies' -                                                                        

 
The Weirdies

The Chelsea man is excessively queer,
He only drinks coffee and doesn't like beer.
He's always "chatting" the girls, and yet
This seems to make him "one of the set".

His unkempt chin and uncut hair
Go with his feet which are usually bare.
If he wears shoes, they've never got soles,
And he's usually found in Bohemian holes.

His outsize sweater is generally black
Contrasting well with his shorty mac.
He wears his clothing merely to show
That he can keep up with the boys of Soho.

To find a girl he doesn't look far,
But into the nearest coffee bar,
Where he's sure to meet a Bohemian "yob".
They're all from Chelsea - what a mob!

The girls with hair right down their backs
Wear irregular clothes that look like sacks.
They walk about wearing father's sweater:
I really don't see why he should let 'er.

Their gaudy clothes of reds and greens
Match up with the style of their men-friends' jeans.
Now that's how it goes with the latest style:
Girls on their faces make-up pile,
The men wear anything they can find -
I shouldn't stare, I should just act blind!

A.R. Doubledee (5b)

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